2002 Buick Rendezvous CXL - MotorWeek Retro

[@Madhouse_Media]

If you'd said back then "you know in 20 years Buick's lineup will be nothing but crossovers", everyone would have laughed. And yet here we are.

[@kevinmoser4609]

My grandma had one for years. A deer finally took it out at 160k miles. It was a pretty solid car for what it was.

[@JamesK7911]

My dad had a 2002 Ford F-250 and used to have a 2004 Buick Regal that was totaled out in 2007 from a crash when he bought it and him and his brother (my uncle) fixed it up. I was only 5 years old in 2007 and I grew up with it and used it to learn how to drive. He sold it in 2018 after I switched to a 2006 Subaru Impreza for my first car, and he started using his 2013 Dodge Ram 3500 that he had since 2016 as his main vehicle. By then the vehicle was getting very worn and rusty but someone still wanted to buy it (probably for it’s last years 😅). Well it’s 2023 now and while he still has his Dodge, he just bought a 2007 Buick Rendezvous. Him and my uncle just have to put a new computer in it.

[@dlourdes4743]

Good for him, these cars are amazing, I have ,2 models the 2006 leaked coolant into the engine, I was not careful turning the heater, i paid for the repairs it has 104,000 miles not to bad.this is a strong car

[@JamesK7911]

@@dlourdes4743 That’s awesome. Since he got his white one that has 140k miles I’ve also noticed others on the road too, I’ve seen Red, Brown, Blue, and white ones. He is planning to sell it though as it’s only a front wheel drive and we live in Minnesota. My dad and his brother are now working on a 2011 BMW X5 that is all wheel drive. However he still drives the Buick a lot and so do I if I don’t need my truck and it’s still very nice to drive. I hope the person who buys it next is able to enjoy it just as much as we have, it at least has another 4 to 6 years rust wise left 🤷‍♂️

[@Sanpedranoazul]

Oh my, who was GM Head Design department at that time???

[@matthewbowen5841]

Wayne Cherry

[@Sanpedranoazul]

@@matthewbowen5841 🙈🙈

[@eggsport2]

Drove one of these from 2003-2022 Gave plenty of issues in its last few years, but the end results was 400k miles and almost two decades of driving. If I got half as much out of my next car, it'd be a steal.

[@Alfetta158]

What they didn't mention is that you can haul half a dozen sheets of plywood (3/4") in the back. Yes, the rear hatch will be open a bit, but there are tie downs to allow you to secure the hatch and the payload. And the 12' 2x4's go on the cross racks up top.

[@robertmitchell2142]

Today, how many of these do we see on the road, not many, but still see many Lexus RX-300's out there. I like it a lot better.

[@billybuchanan385]

They didn't make that many anyway. Those they did make are still around. Look at the sales for these and all of them have low miles for the most part. Sure they had fuel pump or fuel filter issues but they had a far cheaper fix than a nissan with a jumped timing chain

[@Alfetta158]

Mine is still going strong. I don't put a lot of miles on it.

[@dlourdes4743]

Wonderful. I have 2005 104,000 Changed engine recently my colli student son drive this one. The 2006 208,000 I use it just locally I bought the used and had to invest a lot on car repairs but is Worth...my cars run as good as one that cost 40,000... except I do not have that debt in my credit report

[@JamesK7911]

It’s because many are two wheel drive, I know here in Minnesota you don’t see many due to the winters but I’m sure they’re still common in warmer states where the rust doesn’t eat vehicles as fast

[@hotboiorlando]

I have one of these with the AWD an I love it but I don't like the angry Onstar lady in the roof yelling at me lol

[@fernandorocha-dx1wv]

Good and nice car

[@sk8terboi510]

To be honest, if I were forced to choose between this thing and an Aztek, I’d absolutely go for the latter. Those atleast were designed to be used by the outdoorsy types and could be had with a neat camping package. Can’t believe MW had the gall to say this turd was a competitor to the RX 😂

[@Alfetta158]

That simply means that this was GM's best effort against Toyota regardless of whether it was equal to the Lexus. Have you owned either car?

[@fernandorocha901]

Veru nice this Buick

[@matthewbowen5841]

My God, GM thought the Rendezvous was an RX competitor? Delusional.

[@RetroCarReviews]

NO F'ING WAY, NOT EVEN CLOSE TO COMPETING WITH THE RX. AND WHO EVER WAS IN CHARGE OF DEVELOPMENT AND STYLING (BASED ON THE PONTIAC AZTEC...) OMG I'M PUCKING 🤮 SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIRED...

[@iluvcamaros1912]

It was an add-on to the Aztek program as an afterthought. Yet it outsold the Aztek at a higher price point. Its styling was awkward but the Venture-era GM minivan platform was poorly suited to making a good looking SUV. But it proved Buick was a viable brand if GM just bothered to give it something modern to sell. It led to the Rainier, Enclave, Envision, and Encore. The Aztek led Pontiac to the grave.

[@ljmorris6496]

It actually sold well to the point of the 2nd generation was about to be released the name change to...... Enclave.

[@Sanpedranoazul]

@@RetroCarReviews I agree !

[@velezdragon3574]

@@iluvcamaros1912I love your oceanliner videos lol never expected to see ya here !, I daily and own a 2004 Buick rendezvous and it is a very good vehicle rides smooth and is very lodgical with the Awd oc an get many places a fwd cannot and gets decent mpg with lots of space

[@operator91210]

My mom had a 2004. She bought it when it was 4 years old. what an absolute pile that was. Cloth seats were uncomfortable, Engine was underpowered for its application, rear brakes loved to lock up easily, the interior was cheaply slapped together and there were less plastics in a Tupperware factory, bouncy on smooth roads but hard on bumpy roads, steering was numb on the road and heavy in parking lots. You know people knock the Pontiac Aztec for being weird but at least it tried to be something compared to this garbage bin you call a car. I learned to drive in that rendezvous when it was still a fairly new car and I hope I never experience such a god awful piece of machinery like that again. I don't want to know what my mother paid for it back then but if it was anything over a dollar she got ripped off.

[@timtammccully5867]

My mom also bought one of these piles it held up for hur for a years but a year ago I took it over and I've never had so much shit break for me in any of my other cars I wouldn't advise anyone to buy it for anyprice unless the price is free worst car design ever that I know of I had to replace the license plate light and it was a task all of the lights on the back are connected in one stupid pice you have to remove half of the hatch door just to get to it most cars have a pop out plastic cover but not for the rendezvous they require you take all the lights out in one piece just stupid idk I could go on all week talking shit about this car but I think you get my point lol and I don't mind most buicks I've been in or drove but this is completely garbage

[@velezdragon3574]

I just bought a 04

[@ohguy1991]

I'm sorry to hear that. My condolences

[@velezdragon3574]

@@ohguy1991 I’ve enjoyed my rendezvous has been a very good car sadly just got rid of it after 5 years of ownership, and 260,000 miles the transmission failed

[@briantorres7339]

While the Pontiac Aztec and this Buick were minivan based (U Platform) and did beat out the also minivan based Honda Pilot by a year, Honda still did it better. Plus you still see early Honda Pilots, very few of these. Plus the pushrod 3.4L were notorious for blowing head gaskets. These should’ve gotten the 3800 V-6, 4 wheel disc brakes standard too.

[@billybuchanan385]

Hindss mini vans may have their benefits but huge timing chain issues like most early 2000s nissan cars or vans. A headmaster is far easier and cheaper to fix than a timing chain issue considering most people don't know there is an issue with the timing chain until it does go out and takes the engine with it. 1500 alone to fix the timing issue if you do find it before it fails. I will take an 800 dollar issue with a buick over a 1500 or 3000 dollar issue with a nissan any day

[@haidengameplays]

🤢

[@Alh.M-s9v]

Quiero saber por que se apaga

[@dlourdes4743]

Es El alternator

[@jamlam9089]

0 to 60 in ten seconds…….no wonder I can’t gauge how fast I’m leaving a green light in my 2006-2007 Buick rendezvous. Its ugly but oh my god does it haul aśš

[@directreply350]

The first gm with an interior nicer than the exterior. These things were so fugly I hated seeing them on the road

[@TheRealSuperJ]

These have those stupid looking aluminum rear suspension cradles. I'm not sure why but that always bothered me.

[@directreply350]

Me too, annoyed me cause it was supposed to be an “suv” but that cradle gave the rear axle 4 inches of ground clearance lol

[@Alfetta158]

Those are nice: lightweight and they allow IRS. This isn't a Bronco competitor, it's just what has taken the place of what we used to call station wagons in the before time.

[@hondata974]

This was the fancied up version of the Aztek, yet it's uglier and less cool imo.

[@ljmorris6496]

I was about to mention that but it was successful, this paved the way for the current Enclave.

[@4HBirtcher]

@@ljmorris6496 However that Buick is a Buick rebadged Chevrolet Traverse!

[@ljmorris6496]

@@4HBirtcher So?....

[@fernandorocha8459]

This Buick is ugly car

[@Alfetta158]

@@4HBirtcher I was going to say the Chevy is a rebadged Buick...

[@JeffHogge-ht4xg]

Alright... I'll start over again! I was saying THAT YOU'D BETTER CALL UP BUICK AND SET-UP A SERIES OF TOW-TRUCKS ALONG THAT LONG LONSOME TUCSON HIGHWAY... Because about the time you come zooming around that first bend is when "FUSE # 2" is going to BLOW (for no reason). And that's when you'll loose your AIR CONDITIONER! So, down come the Windows! As you zoom around curve # 2, you can watch the back 2 windows DROP DOWN INTO THE DOOR AND BREAK because of the $#!+ WINDOW REGULATORS THAT GO OUT ON THAT THING... THEN, as your rounding curve 3 that's when you're engine catches on fire because it just lost the "FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR". but you might as well stop to put out the fire because the thermostat is giving it up TOO, and you'll be there for 5 hours tearing down the upper right hand side of the engine to get to it. THEN, soon as your back up to speed zoomin around those corners again, you'll be cursing up a storm to discover that the engine temperature is going UP AGAIN 😮! THIS TIME IT'S THE ELECTRIC RADIATOR FAN AND TEMP SENSOR. So, after you let it cool down, you'll make a wild dash for the repair shop... BUT...as you zoom around that last bend YOUR ENTIRE LOAD OF ENGINE OIL DROPS OUT ON THE HIGHWAY because the DIRTY OIL PRESSURE SENDING UNIT JUST BREAKS OFF EMPTYING OUT EVERY DROP OF CRANKCASE OIL. AND as you remember it did that same thing to you 1 year earlier, you realize you now HAVE TO CALL THE TOW-TRUCK because you'll destroy the engine if you dare to go on. But, fortunately the OIL SLICK THAT YOU LEFT IN THE STREET BEHIND YOU, WILL TAKE CARE OF THE HIGHWAY PATROL MAN WHO HAS BEEN CHASING YOU ACROSS THE DESERT... BECAUSE HE'S NOW UPSIDE DOWN ALONG SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY WHERE YOU LOST YOUR ENGINE OIL AND HIS PATROL CAR TIRES FOUND IT.😮 YES... THERE'S A LOT TO EXPERIENCE WITH THE 2002 BUICK RENDEZVOUS (22 YEARS LATER)!

[@Ferraridude13]

This is one of the most miserable GM cars of all time, and that's saying something

[@operator91210]

The Aztec tried to be something. This was just another "me too" brand moment within the gm corporation. I learned to drive in a rendezvous when it was still a fairly new car and I can say it's no wonder GM went bankrupt.

[@Alfetta158]

Get real. You must not remember the Vega, Cimarron, Silhouette, or any eighties Corvette.

[@Lincolnator721]

@@operator91210 The Buick Rendezvous made up for the lack of sales of the Pontiac Aztek. I liked the Buick Rendezvous I had, very comfortable and smooth ride.

[@JeffHogge-ht4xg]

You're so right! I have one of these heinous things, and I can't keep it out of the repair shop long enough to get it home!

[@TheCoolOwen]

The Buick Rendezvous was even uglier and crappier than the Pontiac Aztek.